[Dixielandjazz] More On 1st Monterey Dixie Fest

[Robert S. Ringwald]

Hal Smith just told me that in fact, he did not play for the 1968 festival.
He was there only on Sat afternoon for one show.  It was another youth band.

I did hear Hal with the Fink Street Five at the 2nd Clancy Hayes Benefit in
about 1969 which I also played for, @ Earthquake Magoons.

The Fink Street 5 had kids in it such as Dan Barrett tbn, Paul Woltz banjo,
Larry Wright tpt, Bryan Shaw tpt, Bill Mitchell piano & some other really
good musicians.  The quality of that band was not to be believed.

They sounded more like the Lu Watters band than Lu Watters.

They blew Lu, who was there, away.  Also blew Turk away.

But, back to the first Monterey Dixieland Festival in 1968 that I wrote
about a couple of days ago, to refresh, see the message below.

In addition to the musicians already named by me, appearing at the festival
was also Wally Rose, Wingy Manone, Elton Pernell, Barney Biggard, Dick Cary,
Ed Tuti Garland & the
Firehouse 5 Plus 2.

I think both Barbara Dane & Carol Leigh also sang.

I'm sure there were even more which we can't remember.

For original message, see below:

Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 9:43 AM
Subject: Two Monterey Dixieland Festivals Confusion


> Folks,
>
> In 1968, Don Lewis & perhaps one or 2 other people had the idea to
> capitalize on the fact that the Monterey Jazz Festival was such a success,
> by putting on the Monterey Dixieland Festival at the same location as the
> Jazz Festival.
>
> According to Don, research was done to pick out a weekend when the weather
> was expected to be good.  Unfortunately as it turned out, it wasn't good.
I
> don't remember the rain but do remember how cold it was.
>
> Since the festival went broke, it was never tried again.
>
> Our listmate who was an usher there is correct--It was a hell of a show.
Of
> course, we have already mentioned the fact that Louis Armstrong & his
> all-stars were there.  I met & talked with Louis back stage but
> unfortunately, as 10 years earlier when I met him, I was too dumb, or
didn't
> think about getting a picture of he & I.
>
> Also on the show was the original Dukes of Dixieland, Turk Murphy, Clancy
> Hayes, Mickey Finn, a group of all-stars from LA & more.
>
> I have a program somewhere from the show.
>
> Our listmate Ralph Thompson can put his hands on the program as he was
also
> on the show.  Perhaps Ralph will fill us in on some of the other acts.
>
> I remember meeting Bob Havens there for the first time.
>
> The legendary bass player, Pops Foster was there playing with Phil Howe's
> band which was the house band for the festival.
>
> I believe Bob Neighbors was on trumpet.  I know Jim Maihack was playing
> trombone & I believe Thad Vandon on drums.
>
> Pops was so nice.  My then, 3 year old daughter, along with Maihack's 3
year
> old were there.  It was so cold that our wives attempted to take them back
> stage.  Since the back stage area was mobbed the first night, they were
not
> letting anyone without a backstage pass in on Sat night.  However, Pops
saw
> the little girls & knew how cold they were.  He got them & took them over
by
> the heater, got something to cover them up with.
>
> I played both Friday and Saturday nights with a 10 piece band with the
> strange name, Sugar Willie & the 10 Cubes.
>
> Sugar Willie (William Erickson) was the leader/arranger.  An account of
the
> band, with a review of our performance at the festival by Phillip Elwood,
is
> on my web site:
>
> http://www.ringwald.com
>
> click on Sugar Willie And The Cubes
>
> There is also a couple of pictures of the band on the site.
>
> Some musicians didn't get paid & some got half of their money.  Louis got
> $10K, his fee because as I understand it, he had some sort of "personal
> guarantee" in his contract.  The money for the festival was put up by some
> of the Monterey businessmen who, of course, lost their shirt.
>
> I hope this clears up some of the confusion regarding the two Monterey
> Dixieland Festivals.  The current festival has no connection to the 1968
> festival.
>